


I Do

by kitsudoki



Category: Kagerou Project, おそ松さん | Osomatsu-san (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Comfort, F/M, Mentions of Canonical Events, Post-Summer Time Record
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 12:58:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15841779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitsudoki/pseuds/kitsudoki
Summary: It’s late when she suddenly asks to meet up at the old swingset.





	I Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [graphiteonwhite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/graphiteonwhite/gifts).



> a drabble based on ayano never appropriately dealing with the trauma that she went through via August 15th. what better way to do that than through rarepairs, amirite.

    “Have I changed?”

    Ayano asked this half-jokingly (her body hasn’t aged a day since she fell), half-seriously (her mind grew up too quickly, too soon).

    Karamatsu, taking the question at face-value, paused for a moment, lips pursed in thought (and force of habit).     

    His answer is delivered cautiously with a cursory glance across the swingset.

    “Yyyyyyyes…?”

    Quietly, he gauged her reaction as to whether this was the right answer.

    … And it was too dark for him to see. Heck.

    “I-I mean, it isn’t a bad thing,” he began, immediately justifying his answer. “Change is usually a good thing, and I mean, it certainly was the case in this instance!” Wait, backtrack. “Not like I didn’t like you before the whole… um…”

    A pause.

    “... I think you’re a little different than before,” he picked up. “Just slightly more… quieter?

    “A little more… sad?”

    Another pause.

 

    Finally, she spoke up.

    “... Is that okay?”

    “What?”

    Audible shuffling came from Ayano’s side of the swingset.

    “Is it okay for me to be sad? I mean…” A hand of hers gingerly reaches over to his.

    “Everyone did what they could to bring Ayano, their reliable older sister, back. But I’m not sure if they wanted to bring back…  _ me _ .”

    She doesn’t notice when Karamatsu squeezes her hand back.

    “Sometimes, I wonder if everyone else has grown up without me. Like… in a way, I was just left behind.

    “I guess it wouldn’t be anything new, huh.”

   There’s laughter, but nothing was funny. Huh? There’s nothing wrong.

   Then why was she crying?

 

    Dropped classes, dropped friends, why did everything keep falling? From her soaked cheeks to the first mother’s day spent alone–– maybe that’s just what she deserved. The empty seat at her middle school graduation, hollow conversation at the dinner table: If love ran red, perhaps she could find asylum in the blindingly bright hues of the Haze, or so she thought.

_ To whom were you a hero? _

    The sudden return of an old jersey, the defeat of a used-to-be father, the celebration for something akin to everyone surviving, and Ayano was home.

 

    She’s back.

    She’s here.

    She’s home.

    Her tears are caught in the embrace of a sweatshirt as familiar as the warmth that wrapped around her.

    Karamatsu was still here, and still confused, but still so nice. Still so warm.

    Burying her face further into their seemingly bottomless hug, Ayano braved another question.

    “... Do you still like me?”

    He sputtered at the question.

    “Wh– Of course, I do!”, Karamatsu quickly answered, almost insulted at the prospect of him ever feeling otherwise. His face reddened as soon as he registered the potential  _ implication _ of her question, but he continued.

    “I always have, and… always will. Whether you’re sad or happy, young or old…”

    He could feel her smile against his sleeve. 

    “In sickness and in health?”, she asked.

    “For better or for worse,” he answered, with satisfaction.

    “That’s a big promise, you know.”

    “...I know.”

 

    Brown irises peered up from the comfort of a blue, cotton sea. At this, he smiled, and she knew that he meant every word.

    In the midst of untold desires and secrets were a couple of friends who held each other under the starry sky. The warm silence between them said more than words could ever say.

 

    And for now, that was enough.


End file.
